Apparatus for producing wrought iron or steel direct from ore.



PATENTED DEC. 24, 1907.

` J. A. POTTER. APPARATUS PoE PEODUGING WEOUGHT IRON 0E STEEL DIRECT PROM OEE.

APPLIoATIoN FILED Mlm, i907.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

ga/lay PATENTED DEC. 24, 1907. J. A. EoTTEE. l EOE EEODUGING WEOUEET TRON 0E STEEL DIRECT EEOM OEE APPARATUS APELIOATION FILED JAN. 7, 1907.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

0 ly, W a lr., A. l 71 W W. w.

TATTNTED DEG. 2A, A9017.'

JA A.l TOT-TEA. APPARATUS TOT PRODUGITG WAOUGHT TRON 0R STEEL DIRECT PROM ORE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.7, 1907,

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

NVENTOR,

WI TNESSES ATTORNEY.

4SHEETS-SHBET 4.

PATENTEB DEC. 24, 1907. J. A. POTTER.

APPLIOATION FILED Mlm. 19o?.

AMW/AMM APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING WROUGHT IRON 0R STEEL DIRECT FROM ORE.

JOHN A'. POTTER, or Los ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING WROUGHT'RON OR STEEL DIRECT FROM ORE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 24, 1907.

Application nea January 7.1907. serai No. 351.237.

Toialil whom tif/nay concern:

.Be it "known thatI, JOHN A. POTTER, a citizen of the United States, residingat Los Angeles', in the county of Los Angeles andl State of California, have invented new and useful Im rovements in A paratus for Producing Wiiought Iron or teel'Direct from Ore, of which the following is a specification.

The Object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for producing wrought iron or steel directfrom iron Ore; also for smelting ores bymeans of gaseous fuel, and more particularly b. the `use of crude oil. The invention can ge employed -upon ores conta' other metals than iron, such as copper, sfver, gold, manganese, chromium,

or other ores, and combinations of v ores, metals, etc.

In the accompanying drawings, Figurelly is la vertical longitudinalsection ofv my improved apparatus;- Fig. 2 is a horizontal section, partly in plan view; Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on the' line 3 3 of Fig. 2 on a somewhat larger scale; Fi 4 isa similar section on vthe line 4 4 of Fig. 5 is a horizontal section of a modified form of the apparatus; Fig. 6 is a transverse vertical |section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal vertical section on the line 7 7 of Fig. 5.

. Referring to the drawin s, 1 indicates'a and are also adapted to forma binder tol hold the ores intact while protrudin into the reducing and melting zones of the ace. The mixture is fedby any suitable means into a hopper 5, discharging into the former 3, and is slowly advanced alo said former by means of a ram j actuated 'y an eccentric 7 on a shaft 8. By this means the front or advanc' portion of the body of the mixture slowly ,are converted into gases.

passes out ofthe former 4, and on to the in- .clined bed 2 of the furnace, and its face is thus exposed to the melting heat obtained from the combustion ofv fuelI in the furnace melting chamber.

'The fuel used to obtain the melting heat is preferably fluid, 'and especially a hot combustible gas being preferably'. obtained by means `of a specially constructed still. Around the steel stack 9 which carries off the products of combustion, is a steel casing 10, spaced therefrom to. form an annular chamber 11. Crude oil, supplied to this chamber' 11 by means of a pipe 12, is distilled by the heat of the gases passing up the stack, 'the asphaltum settling-to the bottom of the still, the heavy oils resting above the asphaltum', while the medium and light oils The -liquld residues can be tapped oi from time to time by pipes 13.-. As a modiiication, additional heat may be provided, if necessary, by means of a burner 14 passing into the stack through a door 40 as shown in Fig. 4.'

The gas distilled by 'the Aheat of the gases passing up the stack passes by a pipe 15 to one of two branches 16, leading to opposite 'sides of the furnace, a valve 17 .being provided to change the liiow of the gas'from one .of `said branches to the other. Each branch terminates in front of the port 18 of a conduit 19, which conduits are used alternatelyl as air conduits and as passages for thewaste gases. Said conduits lead to the steckt), dempers 2G being adapted to be interposed between said passages andthe stack, and air valve 21 being also provided to admit the air for combustion. The valve 21 and dam er 20 on each side' of the stack are connecte by a chain 22 passing overf a Tulle 23, so that when the damper is open t e va ve is closed, and conversely.

'Open work refractoryv material 24 1s are pipe 36 vwhich again is connected preferably by the ipe 33 with the still '11, with a source of supp y of hot combustible gas under pressure.

AOn the opposite side of the furnace to the former is arranged the discharge spout'27 ada ted to discharge the molten metal into the adle 28 suspended in the pit 29.Y

A relief pipe 30, having therein a safety valve 31, is connected with the oil still, to permit the escape of gas when the pressure becomes excessive.

The following is the mode of operation of the a aratus., -After there has been generate '1n the stack, by any suitable means, heat sufficient to distil the crude oil, the gas distilled therefrom is'conveyed by the pipe 15V and one ofthe branch ipes 16 to one side of the furnace, and is there urned by means of hot air passed through the regenerative channel 19 on the same side, the valve 21 at that side being open and the damper 20 closed. At the Sametime the charge of the mixture of ore and flux and reducers is fed along the former until the face of the charge is exposed to the melting action of the flames arising from the combustion ofthe fuel, which flames' pass over the bed of the furnace to the other side thereof, the waste gases passing out of the furnace by the mouth 18 and conduit 19 on that side, and thus to the stack 9, the dam er 20 on that side being open, also hot .y com ustible gas is forced through the perforations 26 in the pipe 25, and then through the heating and fusing body of the mixture of ore and iiux in the former, and melting zones `of the yfurnace reducing the ore and rotectingfrom oxidation the ure metal t us cbtained. This effect is ewise produced by the gases distilled from the hydrocarbonaceous material mixed with the ore. `These ases, being continuously distilled from the eating and melting briquet, or body of the mixture of ore and iiux or reducer, and having their only escape through the heating and fusing end and face of said briquet, at all times protect from oxidation the lfibers or articles of iron or other metal that have been produced, thus enabling said particles to flow together as they emerge from the face l of the briquet and dro into the liquid bath of metal contained in .t e furnace hearth beneath. From said hearth the metal and slags are tapped into the ladle at regular intervals.

It will be observed that in the use of this c amber penetrates into the advancing briquet a sufficient distance bach from its fusing face to distil the gases from the hydrocarbonaceous material at such a point as to produce the best eiiect in the gradual'consumption of the oxygen of the ore and the complete protection of the'metai formed and melting on the end of the fusing briquet.

An important advantage attendant upon apparatus the melting heat of the furnace' the use of this apparatus is that thereby steel orwrought iron can be manufactured direct from the iron ore. By the reduction of the ore by means of hydrocarbonaceous gases and heat, the vmetal is extracted from the oxid substantially pure, as in the form of Wrought iron, the metal liquefy'ing and running into the hearth as the temperature is raised, and since substantially no carbon is absorbed thereby, -the resulting product is wrought iron or soft steel.

I nd by the use of this apparatus other ores than iron ores can be worked, such as those of copper, silver, gold, manganese, chromium or other combinations of ores; also mattes can be formed of copper, lead, silver, gold, or other metals with sulfur and iron; or any of these ores can lbe mixed with hydrocarbonaceous materials and iiuxes, or with fluxes only, adding or allowing the sulfur that may be in the ore to form the reducing medium without binding, and permitting the frontend of the body of the ore to find its natural slope, as the metal or mattes reduced therefrom melts and flows down into the liquid bath on the hearth; A

When not using solid reducing materials the use of the pipes 35 is particularly advantageous, as through them the gas can freely permeate up and through the heated material in the former or furnace chamber and effect the consumption of the oxygen and the reducing of the metal and likewise pro tect the latter from oxidation while iiowing into the liquid bath.

It'may be'added that steel and iron scra s, such as borings, turnings, punchings, and t e like, can be mixed with the ores and carbonaceous material and fed into the lhopper and former, and in this way carried into the furnace and smelted together with the ores, therebyassisting in reducing and gathering together the metals reduced from the ores, and carrying the same into the liquid bath. The percentage of scrap metals to be mixed with the ores may vary considerably and in some cases it may be desirable to smelt metal or scrap alone inthis manner. Y

'In the modification shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7, there are provided two ore feedlng devices, each comprising a hopper 5, a former 4, a ram 6, an eccentric 7 and a shaft 9. The formers are located on opposite sides of the furnace, so that the flames, in assing across the furnace, are utilized on bot sides to melt bri ue'fs. i

T e air conduits rise below the floor to the level of the furnace instead of opposite thereto, and the pouring spout is located at the end of the furnace instead of at the side. There are shown, at this modification, pipes 25, which extend transversely through the bed of the furnace at its top, each adjacent to the lower lip of the mouth of a former. `Each pipe 25 is formed with upward opening perforations 26, and is connected with the plpe 15 conta' hot combustible gases derived from the st' l.

I claim I 1. In a smelting apparatus, the combination ofja furnace, meansl for feeding -ore thereto, a stack connected with the furnace, a still, heated by the stack, for ldistilling crude oil, a pipe for su plying the crude oil to the still, a pipe for riiaw'ing off the li uid residues, and a pipe leading from the sti to the furnace to conduct thereto the gas so distilled, substantially as described.

2. In a smelting apparatus, the combination of a furnace, means for feeding ore thereto, a still for distilling hydrocarbonaceous material, means for utilizing the residue heat of the furnace to-heat said still, air conduits, connected with opposite sides of the furnace, a stack, and' means for selectively connecting the conduits with the stack to serve as flues, connections between the upper portion of the still and the opposite sides of the furnace, and means for selectively controlling the flow of the gas in said branches, substantially as described. y

3. In a smelting apparatus, the combination of a furnace, means for charging ore into said furnace, means for highly heating the Y front-surface of the ore body, and means for ore in the direction towards the furnace at a oint behind, but adjacent to, said front'sur face, substantially as described .v

4` In a smelting apparatus, the combina Vtion of a furnace, means for charging ore into said furnace", means for highly heating the front surface ofthe ore body, and means for passing a reducing gas intothe ore body, and through its front surface into the furnace, substantially as described..

5. In a smelting apparatus, the combination of a furnace, means for supplying, to

witnesses.

' v JOHN. A. POTTER. Y Witnesses:

M. J MCGARRY,

YNouan A. B. FoRWoon.

passing combustible gas through the body of.

said furnace, fuel and air for the combustion l 

